Tree shear and delimber

ABSTRACT

A tree shear and delimber for harvesting trees comprising a self-contained wheeled vehicle with a power-operated treesevering means pivotally mounted on a normally horizontal axis at one end of the vehicle for severing a standing tree with a horizontal cut at one side of the vehicle and for severing a fallen tree into sections with a vertical cut, and power-operated delimbing means mounted on the other end of the vehicle. The delimbing means comprises a pair of generally open L-shaped cutting blades moveable with respect to each other into surrounding relationship about the trunk of a tree, and a pair of power-operated tree-feeding spindles moveable into engagement with opposite sides of the tree trunk to draw the tree through the generally L-shaped blades and remove the limbs from the tree. The severing means at the other end of the vehicle also operates to sever the trunk into sections as it is drawn through the Lshaped cutting blades.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Frank R. Groves Ralph A. Denard,P.0. Box 548, Washington, Ga. 30673 [21] App]. No. 884,631 [22] FiledDec.12,1969 [45] Patented Jan. 11', 1972 [54] TREE SHEAR AND DELIMBER 8Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 144/3 D, 144/2 Z [5 l] A01g 23/02 [50] 144/2 2, 3 D, 34 R,309 AC [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,059,677 10/1962Busch et a1. 144/34 3,308,861 3/1967 Hamilton.... 144/3 3,382,899 5/1968White 144/34 3,464,468 9/1969 Thompson et al. 1 144 3 P.0. Box 267,Milan, Ga. 31060;

3,498,350 3/1970 Maradyn 144/309 FOREIGN PATENTS 159,019 5/1962 U.S.S.R.144/2 Z Primary Examiner-Gerald A. Dost Attorney-Jones & ThomasABSTRACT: A tree shear and delimber for harvesting trees comprising aself-contained wheeled vehicle with a poweroperated tree-severing meanspivotally mounted on a normally horizontal axis at one end of thevehicle for severing a standing tree with a horizontal cut at one sideof the vehicle and for severing a fallen tree into sections with avertical cut, and power-operated delimbing means mounted on the otherend of the vehicle. The delimbing means comprises a pair of generallyopen L-shaped cutting blades moveable with respect to each other intosurrounding relationship about the trunk of a tree, and a pair ofpower-operated tree-feeding spindles moveable into engagement withopposite sides of the tree trunk to draw the tree through the generallyL-shaped blades and remove the limbs from the tree. The severing meansat the other end of the vehicle also operates to sever the trunk intosections as it is drawn through the L-shaped cutting blades.

PATENTEDJAN-i 1 i972 SHEET 1 OF 3 FRANK F? GROVES RALPH A DENARD BYaa0ha4 m ATTORNEYS PATENTEnJmHm 31633638 SHEET 2 OF 3 FRANK R GROVESRALPH Av DENARD ATTORNEYS TREE SHEAR AND DELIMBER BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION With the high and increasing costs of labor, it has becomemore and more expensive to harvest timber. The harvesting processrequires that the trees be cut adjacent to the ground, the limbs severedfrom the trees, and in some cases, the trunks of the tree'be cut intosections. The trunks or severed sections of the trunks are then usuallyloaded onto a truck .and hauled to a central collection point, such as arailroad. While various power-operated equipment, including power saws,have come into Common use in' the harvestingprocess, the operation ofthe power equipment together with the various manual procedures stillrequire a relatively large labor force. One of the more time-consumingprocedures is that of delimbing a tree or cutting away the limbs fromthe trunk of a tree. Since trees usually have a large number of limbs,and since the limbs usually extend at random from the trunk of the tree,the delimbing operation has been performed by a laborer operating a saw,either-a hand saw or a hand-carried power saw. The laborer must cut eachlimb'individually, and since the tree is usually fallen before thedelimbing operation, the laborer must orient the saw to the variouspositions to properly delimb the tree, and occasionally roll the tree togain access to the limbs between the trunk and the ground.

While the use of hand'carried power saws has substantially sped up theprocedure of delimbing trees, power saws are expensive and requirefrequent repair and replacement. Moreover, the operator of a power sawis easily and frequently injured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the present inventioncomprises a selfpropelled tree shear and delimber that is operated by asingle person and functions to rapidly fall trees, remove the limbs fromthe trunk of the tree and sever the trunk into sections. The operationof the apparatus is such that the sections of the trunk are normallypiled'adjacent one another for easy loading onto a trunk or the'like.The tree shear and delimber can be driven up to a standing tree and cutthe tree adjacent the ground surface. The fallen tree is then lifted bythe shear mechanism into the delimbing mechanism, the limbs are severedfrom the trunk by the delimbing mechanism, the operation of thedelimbing mechanism is periodically interrupted, and the shear mechanismsevers the trunk into sections.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a tree shear anddelimber which is operable by a single person to rapidly sever, delimb,and sectionalize the trunk of a tree.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent upon reading the following specification when taken intoconjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thetree shear and delimber apparatus, showing the front and left side ofthe apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tree shear and delimber apparatus,showing the rear of the apparatus.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are progressive operational views of the tree shearand delimber apparatus, showing the steps of shearing, delimbing andsectionalizing the trunk of a tree.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in more detail tothe drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout theviews, FIG. I shows tree shear and delimber 10 which comprises aselfpropelled wheeled vehicle 11 having a shear mechanism 12 on itsfront end and a delimbing mechanism 14 on its rear end. The four wheels15 of vehicle 11 are nonsteerable powerdriven wheels that cause thevehicle to turnin a manner similar to a crawler tractor, wherein thewheels of one side of the vehicle can be driven independently of thewheels on the other side of the vehicle to cause the vehicle to turn ortwist.

A pair of moveable support arms l6-are pivotally supported at one oftheir ends by a pair of support blocks 18; Moveable support arms 16 arebent intermediate their ends in Y a downward direction so that the lowerendsl9 can be pivoted down toward the ground surface. Hydraulicr'ams,--20 extend from the frame of the vehicle up into the crook'of themoveable support arms and function to raise or lower the support armswith a pivotal movementabout support blocks 18. Connecting bar 21extends betweenthe ends l9'of support arms l6 and is pivotal withrespect thereto under the influenceof rams 22.

Shear mechanism 12 comprises a framei25, cutting blade 26, and ram 28.Blade 26 is pivotal about its pivot pin 29 and is connected to ram 28and moves under the influence of the ram. Shear mechanism 12 isconnected to connecting barfi2l and is moveable from a positionwhereframe 25 extends substantially parallel to groundsurface andcutting blade 26 cuts with a horizontal movement, to a' position towhere framel-25 extends in an upright attitude and cutting bladef26 cutswith a substantially vertical movement. Moveable support arms 16"function to raise or lower shear mechanism 12 to virtuallyany heightwithin the reach of the supportarms. Cutting blade 26 and its pivot pin29 are located to one side of vehicle II, and are generally in alignmentwith the wheels 15 at the side of the vehicle.

With this arrangement, shear mechanism 12 can be oriented to ahorizontal attitude and lowered "to a-position adjacentthe groundsurface and vehicle 11 can be driven up to a standing tree so that theframe 25 and cutting blade 26; span the'trunk of the tree, and ram 28 isactuated to cause cutting blade 26 to sever the tree. Normally, the treewill fall away fromland to the side of the vehicle.

As is best shown in FIG. 2, delimbing mechanism 14 comprises framework30 and includesa lower support beam '31, upright support frames 32 and'33, and moveable support beam 35. Upright support frames 32 and 33 eachcomprise a pair of uprightbeams connected at their lower ends to lowersupport beam 31 and to each otherattheir upper ends to form a pair ofslots through which moveable support beam 35 moves. Moveable supportbeam 35 is connected at one of-its ends to lower support beam 31 bymeans of pivot pin'36. Ram 38 is connected at its lower end-to-lowersupport beam 31 and at its upper end to moveable support beam '35. Theconnection between ram 38 and moveable support beam 35 is throughcompression spring and bracket 39 which permits limited movement betweenmoveable support beam 35 and ram 38.

Framework extension 40 is connected to lower support beam 31 at the sideof vehicle 11 and extends generally rearwardly of the vehicle. Frameworkextension 4lis similar to framework extension 40 but is connected to theend of moveable support beam 35 at the same side of vehicle 11.Rotatable tree feeding spindle 42 is connected to frameworkextension 40and arranged to rotate about a normally lateral axis. Hydraulic motor 44drives spindle 42 through chain coupling 45. A similar rotatable treefeeding spindle 46 is rotatably supported by framework extension 41 andarranged to rotate about a normally lateral axis. The hydraulic motor 48functions to drive spindle 46 through chain coupling 49.

Cutting blade 50 is generally of open or obtuse L-shape and is supportedin framework extension 40 and comprises lateral leg 51 and upright leg52. Cutting blade 50 comprise'sa sharpened edge 54 that extendsgenerally rearwardly of vehiclev 11. Cutting blade 50 is mounted onsupport shaft 55 in framework extension 40 and is biased by spring 56 ina lateral direction away from the centerline of the vehicle.

Cutting blade 60 is also generally of open or obtuse L-shape and iscarried by framework extension 41 and includes lateral leg 61 anddownwardly extending leg'62. Its sharpened edge 64 also extendsrearwardly of vehicle 11. Cutting blade 60 is mounted on spindle 65 andurged toward the centerline of vehicle 11 by means of compressionsspring 66.

Framework extension 41 of moveable support beam 35 is longer thanframework extension 40 of lower support beam 31, and its cutting blade60 is positioned further to the rear of vehicle 11 than cutting blade50, whereas, rotatable tree-feeding spindles 42 and 46 are positionedgenerally in vertical alignment with each other between moveable supportbeam 35 and lower support beam 31. With this arrangement, when.

moveable support beam 35 is lowered by means of ram 38, rotatabletree-feeding spindle 46 moves down toward rotatable tree feeding spindle42 and cutting blade 60 moves down behind L-shapedblade 50. Thus, thecutting blades will be aligned with each other to define a space throughwhich the trunk of a tree can be drawn by the spindles. The lateral legs51 and 61 of the cutting blades usually overlap the upwardly extendingleg52 and downwardly extending leg 62;-however, spring 56 and 66willallow the legs 52 and 62 to move away from each other and spring 39 willallow the legs 51 and 61 to move away from eachother. w

A supply of hydraulic fluid.(not shown) is maintained in vehicle 11, anda pump (not shown) is used to supply hydraulic pressure to the variousrams 20, 22, 28, and 38,-and to hydraulic motors 44 and 48. The flow offluid to these various elements is controlled at the operators stationby various valves of conventional construction. The control of thehydraulic fluid to motors 44 and 48 is also controlled by a dividervalve (not shown) that assures that the fluid flow to these motors issubstantially equal.

As is best shown in FIG. 1, support bar 70 is rigidly attached to theside of vehicle 11 and is generally in alignment with and at a levelsubstantially equal to that of L-shaped blade 50 of lower support beam31. Support bar 70 is bent intermediate its end and extends firstoutwardly and then upwardly from vehicle 1 1.

OPERATION As is best shown in the sequence of FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6, treeshear and delimber is used to harvest a tree by orienting shear anddelimber 10 is used to harvest a tree by orienting shear mechanism 12 toa substantially horizontal attitude by actuating rams 22, and loweringmoveable support arms 16 by actuating rams 20 until the shear isapproximately at ground level. The self-propelled wheeled vehicle 11 isthen driven in a forwarddirection toward a'standing tree until the trunkof the tree is located within the movement or bite of cutting blade 26.Ram 28 is then energized which causes cutting blade 26 to pivot aboutits pivot pin 29 and shear the tree at its base. Under normalsituations, the tree will fall to the left of the vehicle (FIG. 3). v

Shear mechanism 12 is then elevated and reoriented so that it extends ina downward or vertical direction. Vehicle 11 is maneuvered so that shearmechanism 12 is above the base of the trunk of the fallen tree, andshear mechanism 12 is lowered about the tnink of the tree and cuttingblade 26 moved partially through its cutting stroke to grasp the tree(FIG. 4). The trunk of the tree is then lifted or pivoted about itslimbs and foilage by lifting the shear mechanism. The vehicle is thenmaneuvered so that the trunk of the tree is positioned generally abovethe wheels on the left of the vehicle, which also happens to be abovesupport bar 70 and cutting blade 50 (FIG. 5). The tree is lowered andreleased by shear mechanism 12, and moveable support beam 35 is pivotedin a downward direction by ram 38 until rotatable tree-feeding spindleengages the upper side of the tree trunk and causes the tree trunk toassume a substantially horizontal attitude along the side of thevehicle, if the tree'has not already assumed such an attitu deIFIG. 6).In this position the trunk of the tree is then engaged by both treefeeding spindles 42 and The downward movement of moveable support beam35 also causes ls shaped cutting blade 60 to engage the top and sidesurfaces of the trunk of the tree. The upwardly extending leg 52 ofcutting blade 50 and the downwardly extending leg 62 of cutting blade 60causes the trunk of the tree to be confined within the aligned cuttingblades 50 and 60.

When hydraulic motors 44 and 48 are energized, the treefeeding spindles42 and 46 rotate to urge or draw the trunk of the tree along the'side ofthe vehicle, through the substantially aligned cutting blades 50 and 60and through support bar over the wheels 15 on theleft side of thevehicle. As the trunk of the tree is drawn through cutting blades 50 and60, the sharpened rearwardly facing edges of the cutting blades functionto cut away the limbs and branches of the tree. In the meantime, shearmechanism 12 is oriented so that the bite of its cutting blade is inalignment with the movement of the trunk of the tree along the side ofthe vehicle. When the tree has been urged a predetermined distance alongthe 'side of the vehicle by tree feeding spindles 42 and 46, theoperator will periodically interrupt the'operation of hydraulic motors44 and 48 to stop the feeding of the tree to the cutting blades and willoperate cutting blade 26 to sever the delimbed trunk into sections. Asthe sections areseparated from the body of the tree trunk, they tend tofall in front of and to the side of vehicle 11, and normally fall in acluster with the sections being generally parallel to each other. Y

Since the lateral legs 51 and 61 are urged toward each other by spring39, and since downwardly extending leg 62 and upwardly extending leg 52are urged toward each other by springs 66 and 56, when a tree trunk isplaced between the blades that is larger than the smallest space definedbetween a the blades or when a lump or protrusion in the trunk of thetree is encountered by the blades, the blades will be wedged apartagainst the bias of the springs. The blade legs are angled so that theirshapes are substantially as an opened or obtuse L- shape, so that as thecutting blade 60 of moveable support beam 35 is moved down over and intosurrounding relationship with respect to the tree trunk, the blades willride over the curvature of the trunk, and the trunk will wedge theblades apart. Moreover, the cutting blades are each angled so as todefine a larger space at their cutting edges than at their rear edgesand as the tree trunk is fed through the cutting blades,

the shape of the blades will accommodate any normal enlargements orirregularities on the surface of the tree, yet the springs 39, 56 and 66will cause the space between the blades to grow smaller as the trunk ofthe tree becomes smaller.

Since the cutting blades 50 and 60 are not moved directly toward eachother, but are moved generally in alignment with each other, their legscan overlap each other; that is, upwardly extending leg 52 of blade 50can overlap lateral leg 61 of blade 60 and vice versa. This allowsdelimbing mechanism 14 to accommodate both large and small diameter treetrunks, and the structure is such that the blades automaticallyaccommodate any sized tree trunk within its capacity.

While both cutting blades 50 and 60 have been disclosed as biased bysprings 56 and 66, it should be obvious that only one of the blades canbe spring biased, and while this invention has been described in detailwith particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will beunderstood that other variations and modifications can be efi'ectedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In combination with a mobile vehicle with a shear for cuttingstanding trees or the like at one end and a tree delimber at the otherend, said tree delimber comprising first support means carrying arotatable tree feeding spindle and a generally L-shaped cutting bladewith a laterally extending leg and an upwardly extending leg, a secondsupport means moveable toward and away from said first support means andcarrying a rotatable tree feeding spindle and a generally L-shapedcutting blade with a laterally extending leg and a downwardly extendingleg, the cutting blade of said second support means being moveable withits support means generally in alignment with the cutting blade of saidfirst support means into surrounding relationship with respect to thetrunk of a tree or the like, and the rotatable tree-feeding spindle ofsaid second support means being moveable with its support means to aposition to urge the trunk of a tree or the like intov engagement withthe tree-feeding spindle of said first support means,

whereby the tree-feeding spindles rotate to urge the tree through thespace surrounded by the cutting blades toward said shear and the limbsof the tree are cut away by the cutting blades, said shear beingmoveable to a position in alignment with the movement of a tree throughthe cutting blades for cutting the tree in sections.

2. The invention of claim 1 and wherein the cutting blade of said firstsupport means has its laterally extending leg extending away from thecenterline of said vehicle and the cutting blade of said second supportmeans has its laterally extending leg extending toward the centerline ofsaid vehicle.

3. The invention of claim 1 and wherein at least one of the cuttingblades is biased in a lateral direction into surrounding relationshipwith respect to the trunk of a tree or the like when generally alignedwith other of the L-shaped cutting blades.

4. A tree delimber for attachment to one end of a mobile vehicle havinga tree shear or the like at its other end, said tree delimber comprisinga first support member carrying a first tree feeding spindle memberrotatable about a normally laterally extending axis and having its uppersurface exposed, a first generally obtuse L-shaped cutting membercarried by said first support member at approximately the same level asthe upper surface of said first spindle member, said cutting memberhaving one of its legs extending in a lateral direction substantiallyparallel to the axis of rotation of said first spindle member and theother of its legs extending in an upward direction, said firstcuttingmember being positioned in alignment with the direction ofrotation of said first spindle member, a second support member carryinga second treefeeding spindle rotatable about a normally laterallyextending axis and having its lower surface exposed, a second generallyobtuse L-shaped cutting member carried by said second support member atapproximately the same level as the lower surface of said second spindlemember, said first and second support members being moveable withrespect to each other to position said first and second spindle membersadjacent each other to engage a tree trunk or the like on opposite sidesthereof and to position said first and second cutting members generallyin alignment with each other to generally surround the tree trunk, andspring means for biasing said first and second cutting members laterallyinto engagement with the tree trunk.

5. The invention of claim 4 and wherein said second support membercomprises a support beam pivotal at one of its end about a lateral axisand carrying said second L-shaped cutting member and said second spindleat its other end, and further comprising fluid-actuated power means forpivoting said second support member toward and away from said firstsupport member.

6. The invention of claim 5 and further comprising spring meansconnected to said second support member and to said fluid-actuated powermeans for permitting movement of said second support means with respectto said fluid-actuated power means.

7. The invention of claim 4 and further comprisinga support memberspaced from and at substantially the same level as said first spindlefor supporting the trunk of a tree in a substantially horizontalaltitude.

8. Apparatus for harvesting trees or the like comprising aself-contained wheeled mobile vehicle, power-operated severing meansextending from the front portion of said vehicle and pivotally mountedon a normally horizontal axis for severing a standing tree with ahorizontal cut at at the front portion of the vehicle and for severing afallen tree into sections with a vertical cut, power-operated clampingmeans mounted on the other end of said vehicle and comprising a pair ofgenerally obtuse L-shaped cutting blades movable into surroundingrelationship with respect to the trunk of a tree, spring means forbiasing said cutting blades toward the trunk of the tree, andpower-operated driving means for urging the trunk of the tree throughsaid cutting blades and toward said severing means so thatthe limbs ofthe tree are removed from the trunk by said cutting blades and thedelimbed trunk moves throu said severing means at the front portion ofsaid vehicle an is cut into sections by said severing means.

a: c it a

1. In combination with a mobile vehicle with a shear for cuttingstanding trees or the like at one end and a tree delimber at the otherend, said tree delimber comprising first support means carrying arotatable tree feeding spindle and a generally Lshaped cutting bladewith a laterally extending leg and an upwardly extending leg, a secondsupport means moveable toward and away from said first support means andcarrying a rotatable tree feeding spindle and a generally L-shapedcutting blade with a laterally extending leg and a downwardly extendingleg, the cutting blade of said second support means being moveable withits support means generally in alignment with the cutting blade of saidfirst support means into surrounding relationship with respect to thetrunk of a tree or the like, and the rotatable tree-feeding spindle ofsaid second support means being moveable with its support means to aposition to urge the trunk of a tree or the like into engagement withthe tree-feeding spindle of said first support means, whereby thetree-feeding spindles rotate to urge the tree through the spacesurrounded by the cutting blades toward said shear and the limbs of thetree are cut away by the cutting blades, said shear being moveable to aposition in alignment with the movement of a tree through the cuttingblades for cutting the tree in sections.
 2. The invention of claim 1 andwherein the cutting blade of said first support means has its laterallyextending leg extending away from the centerline of said vehicle and thecutting blade of said second support means has its laterally extendingleg extending toward the centerline of said vehicle.
 3. The invention ofclaim 1 and wherein at least one of the cutting blades is biased in alateral direction into surrounding relationship with respect to thetrunk of a tree or the like when generally aligned with other of theL-shaped cutting blades.
 4. A tree delimber for attachment to one end ofa mobile vehicle having a tree shear or the like at its other end, saidtree delimber comprising a first support member carrying a first treefeeding spindle member rotatable about a normally laterally extendingaxis and having its upper surface exposed, a first generally obtuseL-shaped cutting member carried by said first support member atapproximately the same level as the upper surface of said first spindlemember, said cutting member having one of its legs extending in alateral direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of saidfirst spindle member and the other of its legs extending in an upwarddirection, said first cutting member being positioned in alignment withthe direction of rotation of said first spindle member, a second supportmember carrying a second tree-feeding spindle rotatable about a normallylaterally extending axis and having its lower surface exposed, a secondgenerally obtuse L-shaped cutting member carried by said second supportmember at approximately the same level as the lower surface of saidsecOnd spindle member, said first and second support members beingmoveable with respect to each other to position said first and secondspindle members adjacent each other to engage a tree trunk or the likeon opposite sides thereof and to position said first and second cuttingmembers generally in alignment with each other to generally surround thetree trunk, and spring means for biasing said first and second cuttingmembers laterally into engagement with the tree trunk.
 5. The inventionof claim 4 and wherein said second support member comprises a supportbeam pivotal at one of its end about a lateral axis and carrying saidsecond L-shaped cutting member and said second spindle at its other end,and further comprising fluid-actuated power means for pivoting saidsecond support member toward and away from said first support member. 6.The invention of claim 5 and further comprising spring means connectedto said second support member and to said fluid-actuated power means forpermitting movement of said second support means with respect to saidfluid-actuated power means.
 7. The invention of claim 4 and furthercomprising a support member spaced from and at substantially the samelevel as said first spindle for supporting the trunk of a tree in asubstantially horizontal altitude.
 8. Apparatus for harvesting trees orthe like comprising a self-contained wheeled mobile vehicle,power-operated severing means extending from the front portion of saidvehicle and pivotally mounted on a normally horizontal axis for severinga standing tree with a horizontal cut at at the front portion of thevehicle and for severing a fallen tree into sections with a verticalcut, power-operated clamping means mounted on the other end of saidvehicle and comprising a pair of generally obtuse L-shaped cuttingblades movable into surrounding relationship with respect to the trunkof a tree, spring means for biasing said cutting blades toward the trunkof the tree, and power-operated driving means for urging the trunk ofthe tree through said cutting blades and toward said severing means sothat the limbs of the tree are removed from the trunk by said cuttingblades and the delimbed trunk moves through said severing means at thefront portion of said vehicle and is cut into sections by said severingmeans.